A fresh maritime dispute between New Delhi and Colombo seems to be brewing with Sri Lanka objecting to India’s plea to the International Seabed Authority (ISA) based at Kingston in Jamaica for rights to explore cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts in Afanasy Nikitin Seamount in the Indian Ocean.

Colombo has argued that the area where India wants to explore cobalt-rich ferromanganese crusts is entirely within the extended continental shelf claim of Sri Lanka.

The island nation’s government has urged the ISA to refrain from accepting New Delhi’s plea for exploration rights in Afanasy Nikitin Seamount till the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN-CLCS) decides on its continental shelf claim. The ISA is “following applicable procedures in this regard and the matter is ongoing”, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Sri Lankan government said.

Sri Lanka’s continental shelf claim also contradicts that of India’s and that is why remains pending with the UN-CLCS since 2009. The two neighbouring nations have been negotiating to end the impasse bilaterally. They, however, could not make any headway in the past one-and-a-half decades.

The new dispute over the exploration of cobalt-rich crusts started brewing after the recent parliamentary elections in India saw the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party trying to rekindle the controversy over Katchatheevu Island and blaming the Congress and the Dravida Munnethra Kazhagam (DMK) for ‘ceding’ it to Sri Lanka, sacrificing the interests of the fishermen of Tamil Nadu.

The Earth System Science Organization (ESSO), an autonomous institute of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India, submitted an application to the secretary general of the ISA on January 18, 2024, seeking approval for a 15-year plan of work for the exploration of cobalt-rich ferromanganese at Afanasy Nikitin Seamount in the central Indian Ocean.

New Delhi moved the ISA seeking rights to explore the cobalt-rich crusts in Afanasy Nikitin Seamount in the wake of the increasing forays of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s research vessels in the Indian Ocean region.

The ESSO deposited an application fee of $500,000 to the ISA – an autonomous international organization established under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) to authorize and control the exploration of mineral deposits in the international seabed.

The Afanasy Nikitin Seamount is a 400-kilometre-long and 150-kilometre-wide undersea mountainous feature in the equatorial Indian Ocean. It comprises a main plateau rising 1200 metres above the surrounding ocean floor at a depth of 4800 metres, and secondary elevated seamount highs, two of which lie at 1600 metre and 2050 metre water depths.

The total area New Delhi wants to explore spans 3,000 sq. km and consists of 150 blocks, with none exceeding 20 sq. km in area. The blocks are organized and grouped into six clusters, each containing 12-50 blocks. The application area covering the six clusters is enveloped within an area measuring not more than 550 km by 550 km, according to an ISA document.

Source: Deccan Herald

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said that it is currently evaluating the terms of the proposed debt restructuring program for Sri Lanka.

Julie Kozack, Director of the Communications Department at IMF said that an IMF team is evaluating the proposal to ensure they align with the established guidelines of the IMF-supporter program for Sri Lanka.

She said that the IMF is closely monitoring the recent developments regarding Sri Lanka’s debt discussions.

On the 3rd of July, Sri Lanka and the creditors Steering Committee reached agreement on the terms for a $12.5 billion bond restructuring, bringing the South Asian nation closer to completing its debt overhaul two years after it defaulted.

The Steering Committee comprised ten major bondholders representing 50% of the ISBs.

Kozack revealed that the IMF team is currently evaluating the terms of the proposed debt restructuring to ensure they align with the established guidelines of the program.

Once this assessment is finalized, the IMF will express its official stance on the matter.

India is looking at potential avenues for replicating its Good Governance practices in Sri Lanka.

An Indian delegation from the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG), Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Government of India, led by Secretary DARPG and Director General, National Centre for Good Governance (NCGG), V. Srinivas, paid a three day visit to Sri Lanka from 7-9 July 2024.

N. B. S. Rajput, Joint Secretary DARPG, Ms. Presca Mathew, Chief Administrative Officer NCGG, Dr. Ashutosh Pal Singh, Associate Professor NCGG and Dr. Mukesh Bhandari, Research Associate NCGG were also part of the delegation.

The visit mainly focused on development of an operational framework for the bilateral collaboration on capacity building of Sri Lanka civil service officers in India and potential avenues for replicating Good Governance practices of India in Sri Lanka.

The delegation called on Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Dinesh Gunawardena and State Minister of Home Affairs Ashoka Priyantha, and also held detailed meetings with Secretary to the President of Sri Lakna, S B Ekanayake and Secretary to the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Anura Dissanayake. The delegation also met Secretary, Ministry of Public Administration, Home Affairs, Provincial Councils and Local Government, Mr. Pradeep Yasarathna.

The delegation visited the Sri Lanka Institute of Development Administration (SLIDA), where they interacted with the faculty and management of the Institute led by Nalaka Kaluwewe, Director General, and also received positive feedback from Sri Lanka administrative officers alumni of past training programs at NCGG. Secretary DARPG delivered a special address at SLIDA on ‘Centralized Public Grievance Redressal System: A Foundation for SMART Government’ that was attended by senior officers of Government of Sri Lanka and officers, faculty and management of SLIDA.

The delegation also visited the Colombo District Secretariat and interacted with District Secretary Mr. Ginige Prasanna Janaka Kumara and other senior officials to gain insights into the mechanisms and models for services provided by respective departments of the Secretariat, such as data collection and registration, social services, disaster relief, MSME empowerment, integrated boarder management, among others.

The three day visit by the Indian delegation followed up on a visit to India in February 2024 by a high-level Sri Lankan delegation led by Secretary to the Prime Minister, Dissanayake, to explore further strengthening of the bilateral cooperation on capacity building of Sri Lanka civil service officers in India.

To date, around 100 Sri Lankan civil service officers have undergone training as part of three short-term capacity building programs at NCGG for senior and mid-level officers from the country.

The detailed interactions during the visit to Sri Lanka by the Indian delegation served to fine-tune and structure proposed long-term capacity building initiatives for Sri Lankan officers in India. In this regard, the delegation took note of avenues and sectors of specific interest to the Sri Lankan side, including centralized public grievance redressal mechanism, administrative reforms, personnel administration, pension reforms, e-office, procurement reforms, land administration, etc.

The Samagi Jana Balawega (SJB) and the National Peoples Power (NPP) are preparing to propose an adjournment debate in Parliament today, stressing the necessity of holding the presidential election on schedule.

Chief Opposition Whip Lakshman Kiriella said that the proposal was introduced during the party leaders’ meeting held yesterday.
Kiriella and the NPP leader, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, are determined to ensure the debate takes place.

Sri Lanka has signed a letter of exchange with the the China International Development Cooperation Agency (CIDCA) on a Digital Transformation of General Education project under the China-Aid programme.

Sri Lanka Treasury Secretary Mahinda Siriwardana tweeted Thursday July 11 afternoon that he signed the agreement on behalf of the government CIDCA Vice President Yang Weiqun in Beijing, China.

The proposed grant is a visionary initiative designed to catalyse the digital transformation of Sri Lanka’s education sector, said Siriwardana in a statement.

“The primary focus of the grant is to establish a state-of-the-art educational infrastructure, including a cutting-edge Educational Data Centre, a Multimedia Distance Learning and Conference Solution, and a National Streaming Hub,” he said.

“In its initial phase, the project will implement advanced smart classroom solutions with interactive high-definition distance learning features, covering 900 classrooms across 500 schools. This initiative aims to enhance the teaching and learning experience, facilitating ongoing education sector reforms to achieve educatoi equity through digital transformation.”

According to the official, the grant also includes the provision of necessary software and technical training, provided by the government of China.

“This comprehensive support is expected to help ensure sustainable and effective implementation of the digital education infrastructure in Sri Lanka,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cabinet Spokesman Bandula Gunawardena told reporters on Wednesday that Sri Lanka plans to construct 60 smart classrooms at selected schools in estates in Nuwara-Eliya, Kandy and Badulla Districts with funding from the Indian Government.

“The Indian Government is helping us financially to develop the quality of education in science, technology and mathematics for Advanced Level classes in the estate sector,” Gunawardena told reporters on Wednesday.

Minister of Estate Infrastructure Jeevan Thondaman has said that despite new schools, including an English medium school, built in the hill country, challenges remain in obtaining permission from plantation companies to expand the schools.

Sri Lanka’s main opposition party the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) has also been spearheading a campaign of distributing smart classroom technology to schools around the country, though the source of funding for the equipment remains unclear.

The United States, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), is supporting the Sri Lankan Ministry of Finance to modernize the country’s trade facilitation infrastructure through the implementation of Sri Lanka’s Trade National Single Window System (TNSWS).

The TNSWS, when operational, will streamline the collection of information required for trade, leading to increased transparency and efficiency, reduced costs, and more potential revenue.

As part of the ongoing collaboration, the Department of Trade and Investment Policy of the Ministry of Finance, Economic Stabilization and National Policies with support from USAID recently held a workshop for 94 key TNSWS project stakeholders. The interactive workshop enhanced participants’ understanding of how the single window system works and its benefits. It also encouraged collaboration and sustainability in Sri Lanka’s TNSWS implementation.

“As a long-time partner and Sri Lanka’s largest export market, the United States supports efforts to boost exports and improve efficiency for businesses and government agencies. We are committed to initiatives like the TNSWS, which will make trade more transparent and predictable, easing business challenges,” said USAID Mission Director for Sri Lanka and Maldives, Gabriel Grau.

K.M. Mahinda Siriwardana, Secretary to the Ministry of Finance, emphasized, “Establishing a trade national single window system is crucial as Sri Lanka recovers from an unprecedented economic crisis. The TNSWS will increase our trade competitiveness and support export growth, leading to sustained economic stability.”

As part of the World Trade Organization Trade Facilitation Agreement, which Sri Lanka signed in 2017, implementation of a TNSWS is required. Implementation of a TNSWS received cabinet approval in 2022.

Over the past year, the United States has provided technical assistance to help the Government of Sri Lanka establish a Project Implementation Unit to lead the TNSWS project.